A former Manchester United star has lifted the lid on the lengths players would go to in order to avoid Sir Alex Ferguson's wrath at Carrington after losing a game
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Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson was well known for his fierce temper(Image: Phil Cole/Getty Images)
An ex-Manchester United star has revealed how players used to hide in the gym in fear of Sir Alex Ferguson's infamous 'hairdryer' treatment. The legendary former United manager was well known for his fierce temper, and few team members escaped his verbal tirades when things went wrong.
There are many tales of Sir Alex disciplining his players in the changing rooms at half-time and after matches. The most infamous incident resulted in David Beckham needing stitches in 2003 after being struck in the face by a boot kicked by the Scotsman.
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However, former Red Devils goalkeeper Ben Foster has now lifted the lid on how his wrath also extended to the training ground. Foster, who played for the club between 2005 and 2010, said players would go to great lengths to avoid Sir Alex at Carrington after losing a game.
As well as hiding out in the gym, the ex-Watford and Wrexham shot-stopper said they would also avoid the canteen due to its close proximity to the manager's office. "He had loads of moments and it wasn't just in the changing rooms - it was around the training ground as well," Foster said during an appearance on the Breaking Beard podcast.
"If we had a bad result on a Saturday, for example, you knew on Monday morning to just steer clear of him. You wouldn't even go to the canteen, because his office was next to the canteen. You wouldn't walk up that way because you knew there was a chance he might be there, and you didn't want to see him or lock eyes with him.
"You'd just hide away in the gym because he would take that into the Monday. If we lost, had a bad performance or something just really irked him on the Saturday, he would carry it with him for days, and everybody knew it."
Ben Foster of Manchester United poses with the Carling Cup trophy in 2009
Ben Foster, who won the Carling Cup with United in 2009, has revealed what Sir Alex was like around the training ground
(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
Foster praised Sir Alex for his high disciplinary standards during his time at United but questioned if his approach would work in the modern game. His comments were made as he claimed current players are less willing to take criticism on board.
He said: "I think that's the beauty of him that they don't make him like him anymore…and I don't even know if it would work in today's football because modern football is so much softer than it used to be. You can't get at modern footballers anymore and you can't shout at them. You have to be nicey-nicey with them, and put an arm around them."
Foster is not the only former United player to recall such encounters with Ferguson. Last year, Nicky Butt revealed how Sir Alex once paid him a visit in school to give him an ear bashing.
Nicky Butt during his playing days with Sir Alex Ferguson
Nicky Butt during his playing days with Sir Alex Ferguson
Butt opened up on how he was on the receiving end of one of his tirades when he was just a teenager after his manager found out about his subpar performance in school. Butt was speaking with ex-United midfielder Paul Scholes on the Football's Greatest Eras podcast about just how involved Sir Alex was in their lives as young footballers.
He said: "I remember in school, I was a bit of a jack the lad. I was walking in late. I remember seeing an S class (Mercedes) parked outside the entrance. I would have been 14 or 15, maybe.
"I walked in, there was a reception and they said, 'Oh, the head Mr. Embassy wants you'. I had to go to his office and I walked in thinking, 'I'm only late, I've got to sign in late and I'll be fine'.
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"Sir Alex was sat in the office with the teacher and he came at me like you wouldn't believe. (He said) 'If you don't listen to this man, I'll make sure you do what's right by him. Do what's right or you won't play for this football club, you won't get in.' I was like that (stunned)."
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